Noctuidae - Cuculliinae

 

 

 

Cucullia obscurior Smith

Cucullia obscurior Smith, 1892, Proc. U. S. Natl. Mus., 15:41.

Diagnosis: Cucullia obscurior has a uniform gray forewing without the purple-brown tinge found in florea. In the past obscurior has been treated as a subspecies of florea and may still turn out to be, but possible small areas of sympatry between the two have led me to treat them as distinct. The relationship between obscurior and florea is discussed more fully under florea. Wing length from base to apex: mean = 21.49 mm., standard deviation = 1.54 mm., n = 10.

Distribution: Cucullia obscurior is a species of the Rocky Mountain and Great Basin regions of the United States. It ranges in the north from Washington and Idaho down through Colorado to New Mexico and southern Arizona. In addition there are three specimens from north-central North Dakota that might be assigned to this species, but which I have determined as florea on biogeographical grounds.

Adults have been collected in late June, July, and August.

Identification Quality: Excellent

Larva: The larvae and its foodplants are unknown.

Foodplants: Specimens reared by Crumb from the Mt. Rainier region of Washington were reared on Aster sp. However the larvae in unknown because Crumb confounded the larvae of the three species florea, postera, and obscurior under the name omissa.

Cucullia obscurior

See diagnosis section at the top of the page

Similar Species

Cucullia florea

Cucullia postera

Cucullia omissa

Cucullia similaris